11/ 30/ 2004
by Tamara E. Holmes
If you're like many small-business owners, there are periods of time when you are busier than usual. For retail-oriented companies, that time might be around the holidays. For accountants, that time is likely the weeks before April 15. While hiring additional employees would help you to get the extra work done, not all business owners can afford to do that. However, there are alternative ways to get more work done with less.
While adding full-time employees might not be feasible, you might consider using temporary workers during your busy time. Temporary agencies can work with you to find someone who is qualified for the job at hand, and you won't have to worry about paying for benefits or severance when the tasks that need to be done are complete. Even if temporary workers don't have the expertise to handle some of the work, you can have them free up members of your full-time staff so that they can dig into the extra work that needs to be done.
The hiring of part-time help or independent contractors is another option you might want to consider. When searching for people to work in this capacity, you can make it clear through a signed contract that you're paying a certain hourly wage with no benefits. Again, you'll save the money on benefits as well as severance fees, and you'll have extra help for only the time that your business really needs it.
The use of interns can also be helpful during a busy period. Many colleges offer students credit for taking on internships. In fact, some schools require that students complete a certain number of internships before they graduate. Since these students are fulfilling their college requirements through such internships, they are often willing to work for free. By turning to interns to help pick up the slack during your busy period, you can not only save money but you can contribute to their growth and development both academically and professionally. To find interns, contact the career development office of local colleges and universities and tell them what you are looking for. They may steer some able interns your way.
Perhaps the hiring of additional help is not an option at all. In that case, you have to find ways to keep your employees happy despite the fact that they will be called on to do extra work.
One way to do this is to offer employees extra time off after the busy period is over. For example, if you're asking people to work long hours for a month, you might offer them a couple of paid vacation days in the weeks following that period of time. Let them know up front that you plan to do this. That way, they'll likely have a better attitude while they're working hard if they know that you will reward them for their efforts.
Another way to keep employees happy during busy periods is to give them small tokens of your appreciation. The offering of gift certificates to a local restaurant, for example, shows your employees that you are willing to take the time to go out of your way to show your appreciation. Likewise, if you're asking employees to stay late, provide dinner for them if you can. That way, they don't have to dig into their own pockets for food on your account.
Finally, one of the best ways to keep employees happy is to lead by example. If you want employees to stay late and work harder for a certain period of time, yet you go home and do the same things you've been doing all year around, your employees will notice and may resent you.
Stay late with them and pitch in on all tasks. Don't simply supervise; rather, let your employees know that the extra work is everybody's responsibility. If your employees see you rolling up your sleeves and getting down to work, they're more likely to roll up their sleeves and join you.
The busiest periods of the year are going to be more stressful for you as a small-business owner than other periods. However, with proper planning, creativity and the right attitude, you can equip your employees with the proper tools to get the extra work done.
